Sparks will fly when Vivid Sydney takes over the city for three weeks from May 26 – June 17. With a glowing program of more than 300 events, talks, performances and artworks, it’s impossible to see it all. If you only have one night to check out the festival of light here are the best things to see at Vivid Sydney 2023.

Related story: The places places to eat and drink at Vivid 2023

Vivid House

Say hello to Vivid’s newest 360-degree, immersive experience, Vivid House. Following in the footsteps of the extremely successful Van Gogh and Frida Kahlo light shows, Vivid House will showcase four artworks with the highlight being Australian Oceans by Craig Perry. Four walls will be lit with the award-winning photographer’s footage that will make the audience feel like they are observing sea creatures from the ocean floor. Free, The Cutaway, 1 Merriman St, Barangaroo.

Common Ground

The Powerhouse Museum facade will become aglow with Common Ground during Vivid. The projected artwork by German-based media collective, Urbanscreen, will focus on nature’s calm and chaos with lush imagery of seas, fields and mountains, paired with a jolting soundscape. Free, back of Powerhouse Museum, 500 Harris Street, Ultimo.

Biotecture

Imagine if a building was living and breathing, like a human. Biotecture does just that. It brings the ASN Clock Tower’s facade to life by peeling away the exterior lawyer and providing an otherworldly view into the arteries, bones and organs the building world have if it was, in fact, a living being. Free, 5 Hickson Road, The Rocks.

Dark Spectrum

We’re calling it, this is the most ambitious and exciting event in Vivid Sydney history. Dark Spectrum is opening the abandoned railway tunnels below Wynyard Station to the public for the very first time. Eight rooms will display a unique multi-sensory experience reminiscent of the euphoria you might feel on an underground dance floor. This is a ticketed event and children under five are not permitted into the event. From $35, Wynyard Park, 1001 York Street.

Lightscape

Created over a decade ago and selling out all over the world, Lightscape is coming to the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney. Taking full advantage of its natural location, tree canopies will be filled with colour, larger-than-life flowers will sprout and neon roots will burst from the grounds. The artwork will take guests on a multi-sensory journey through the after-dark oasis. From $30, Queen Elizabeth II Gates, Sydney.

Losting

A disorienting landscape contained in a huge illuminated cube, Losting is a portal into a strange, ever-shifting world of double-mirrors oscillating between transparent and reflective, illuminated and dark. Designed to encourage observers to lose themselves in nature, Losting is an environmental call to action by internationally renowned Sydney-based artist James Dive as we consider our relationships with technology and its place in our natural world.
Free, this installation is part of the Light Walk in Circular Quay and The Rocks.

Dandelion

An homage to the resilience of the humble wispy flower, Amigo & Amigo’s Dandelion is a 4,000 kg steel recreation of the flower’s domed calyx. The mammoth structure may appear less fragile than the common dandelion, but looks can be deceiving. Not only has this flower found a home across much of the globe, but it’s able to retain roughly 100 times its own weight in water. Pay your respects to the adaptability of nature from within the purple and yellow glowing cones. This installation is part of the Light Walk in Circular Quay and The Rocks.

Lighting of the Sails: Life Enlivened

In honour of the late artist, Dr John Olsen, the ever impressive Lighting of the Sails spotlights Olsen’s enduring interest and fascination with Australian nature and landscape. A selection of images in Olsen’s signature line style have been selected by curator Dr Deborah Hart and animated by creative technologists Curiious. Life Enlivened will showcase Olsen’s unique perspective and presentation of the Australian landscape every night of the Vivid program. Free, Sydney Opera House, Bennelong Point.

City Gazing

Set to an emotive soundtrack by composer Ertan Çetin, City Gazing: Sydney is part of a global series by artist collective VOUW. Recreating the views of cities around the globe as one would floating through space, this iteration imagines looking down on Sydney from the stars over the last century via a map floating above our heads. The work will chart the city’s growth as Sydney expands, time-travelling to some of the key historic moments that have shaped us. City Gazing: Sydney is the ultimate way to ‘zoom-out’ and remind ourselves that we are all part of the pale blue dot. Free. This installation is part of the Light Walk in Circular Quay and The Rocks.

Waterfall

Take stock, rest and reset at this sanctuary hidden in The Rocks. A 20-metre cascade of ‘water’ created by the use of hundreds of LED lights makes Waterfall, by Colourleds collective based in Colombia. A roar of water crashing onto rocks, complete with splashing mists is accompanied by a soundtrack designed to transport you to the famous waterfalls of South America and inspire reverence to the strength and power of nature. Free. This installation is part of the Light Walk in Circular Quay and The Rocks.

The Last Ocean

As we rapidly lose our polar ice caps due to rising temperatures, The Last Ocean is a dramatic installation created out of ocean garbage lifted from around the world. Named for photographer John Weller’s organisation that works to protect one of the most unique ecosystems on Earth, Antarctica’s Ross Sea, this giant tessellated ‘ice sheet’ is the work of American artist, Jen Lewin. Come nightfall splash through the white and blue geometric shapes to interact with the artwork while reflecting on just what we’re risking if we don’t drastically minimise our impact on the planet. Free. This installation is part of the Light Walk in Circular Quay and The Rocks.